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Buena Vista Home Entertainment
Written and compiled by Nicholas Aczel, Sean Beard, Kris Starring and Dan DeCosta
Logo captures by Wisp2007 and Curiousgeorge60
Editions by Wisp2007, Bob Fish and V of Doom
Background: Buena Vista Home Entertainment (formerly Home Video) was created in 1989 to release non-Disney related videos not covered by the other Disney units, such as concerts, documentaries, Jay Ward and Bagdasarian cartoons, and English-dubbed anime. Also covered the Jim Henson Video brand starting in 1990 after the Muppet Home Video brand and it's US distributor, Playhouse Video, was shut down.
1st Logo
(1989-1994)
Nicknames: "The Castle", "Magic Kingdom"
Logo: On a black background, we see a blue stylized, segmented Sleeping Beauty Castle (from the 1985 Walt Disney Pictures logo) with a circular line drawn over the castle. The text:
is seen below in blue. The logo "shines".
Variant: A cartoon castle was used on cartoon releases.
FX: The logo "shining".
Cheesy Factor: Somewhat primitive CGI.
Music/Sounds: A five-note chime tune with a synthesizer stinger in background.
Availability: A pretty tough find. Seen on Buena Vista Home Video releases of the time, including Andrew Solt-directed compilations like the first two volumes of Elvis: The Great Performances.
Scare Factor: Depending on the logo variant:
2nd Logo
(1994-1998)
Logo: On a black background, we see the blue text:
in the same font as the previous logo. The logo "shines" twice.
FX: The logo "shining".
Cheesy Factor: Cheap CGI again. Also, the logo is too plain.
Music/Sounds: A synthesizer tune consisting of a WHOOSH and a staccato synth chord.
Availability: Another tough find, since it was only used for a short time, again, look for non-Disney related video releases from the period.
Scare Factor: Low; see first logo.
3rd Logo
(1998-2002)
Logo: On a blue CGI background, a silver stylized V zooms out from a right angle, which turns out to be part of the text "Buena Vista Home Video". The logo settles on the background and "shines".
FX: It's all just very nice CGI.
Music/Sounds: A remix of the tune used in the first logo.
Availability: Common; among other non-Disney related releases, seen on English-dubbed video and DVD releases of Hayao Miyazaki-directed anime such as My Neighbor Totoro, Princess Mononoke, and Kiki's Delivery Service, among others.
Scare Factor: None; this is a great logo.
4th Logo
(2002-2006) 
Nicknames: "The Restored Castle", "Magic Kingdom 2002", "3-D Castle", "Buena Vista Kingdom"
Logo: On a blue/black gradient background, we see a blue 3D segmented Sleeping Beauty Castle at an angle shining, and emitting rays of light. The castle zooms out and turns to face us. As this happens, the text "Buena Vista Home Entertainment" (or "HOME VIDEO") appears in silver aligned with the castle, and thus also zooms out. An arch zooms out and places itself over the castle and the text stops at the bottom of the screen. The words shine.
FX: Better CGI than the previous logo.
Music/Sounds: A choir/orchestral tune.
Availability: Common; appears on non-Disney or non-Touchstone videos from the parent company.
Scare Factor: Minimal to low; the choir may give some bad memories of Simitar or DIC '87, but this is the best Buena Vista Home Entertainment logo as of yet.
5th Logo
(2006-)
Logo: On a blue background, the words "Buena Vista Home Entertainment" (in the same font as the last logo) zoom out while emitting rays of light before stopping in the middle of the screen.
FX: The text zooming out and shining.
Music/Sounds: Same as the last logo.
Availability: Current.
Scare Factor: Same as the last logo.
Logo captures by Wisp2007 and Curiousgeorge60
Editions by Wisp2007, Bob Fish and V of Doom
Background: Buena Vista Home Entertainment (formerly Home Video) was created in 1989 to release non-Disney related videos not covered by the other Disney units, such as concerts, documentaries, Jay Ward and Bagdasarian cartoons, and English-dubbed anime. Also covered the Jim Henson Video brand starting in 1990 after the Muppet Home Video brand and it's US distributor, Playhouse Video, was shut down.
1st Logo
(1989-1994)
Nicknames: "The Castle", "Magic Kingdom"
Logo: On a black background, we see a blue stylized, segmented Sleeping Beauty Castle (from the 1985 Walt Disney Pictures logo) with a circular line drawn over the castle. The text:
BUENA VISTA
HOME VIDEO
HOME VIDEO
is seen below in blue. The logo "shines".
Variant: A cartoon castle was used on cartoon releases.
FX: The logo "shining".
Cheesy Factor: Somewhat primitive CGI.
Music/Sounds: A five-note chime tune with a synthesizer stinger in background.
Availability: A pretty tough find. Seen on Buena Vista Home Video releases of the time, including Andrew Solt-directed compilations like the first two volumes of Elvis: The Great Performances.
Scare Factor: Depending on the logo variant:
- Low; the music may surprise some.
- None to minimal for the cartoon variant.
2nd Logo
(1994-1998)
Logo: On a black background, we see the blue text:
BUENA VISTA
HOME VIDEO
HOME VIDEO
in the same font as the previous logo. The logo "shines" twice.
FX: The logo "shining".
Cheesy Factor: Cheap CGI again. Also, the logo is too plain.
Music/Sounds: A synthesizer tune consisting of a WHOOSH and a staccato synth chord.
Availability: Another tough find, since it was only used for a short time, again, look for non-Disney related video releases from the period.
Scare Factor: Low; see first logo.
3rd Logo
(1998-2002)
Logo: On a blue CGI background, a silver stylized V zooms out from a right angle, which turns out to be part of the text "Buena Vista Home Video". The logo settles on the background and "shines".
FX: It's all just very nice CGI.
Music/Sounds: A remix of the tune used in the first logo.
Availability: Common; among other non-Disney related releases, seen on English-dubbed video and DVD releases of Hayao Miyazaki-directed anime such as My Neighbor Totoro, Princess Mononoke, and Kiki's Delivery Service, among others.
Scare Factor: None; this is a great logo.
4th Logo
(2002-2006)
Nicknames: "The Restored Castle", "Magic Kingdom 2002", "3-D Castle", "Buena Vista Kingdom"
Logo: On a blue/black gradient background, we see a blue 3D segmented Sleeping Beauty Castle at an angle shining, and emitting rays of light. The castle zooms out and turns to face us. As this happens, the text "Buena Vista Home Entertainment" (or "HOME VIDEO") appears in silver aligned with the castle, and thus also zooms out. An arch zooms out and places itself over the castle and the text stops at the bottom of the screen. The words shine.
FX: Better CGI than the previous logo.
Music/Sounds: A choir/orchestral tune.
Availability: Common; appears on non-Disney or non-Touchstone videos from the parent company.
Scare Factor: Minimal to low; the choir may give some bad memories of Simitar or DIC '87, but this is the best Buena Vista Home Entertainment logo as of yet.
5th Logo
(2006-)
Logo: On a blue background, the words "Buena Vista Home Entertainment" (in the same font as the last logo) zoom out while emitting rays of light before stopping in the middle of the screen.
FX: The text zooming out and shining.
Music/Sounds: Same as the last logo.
Availability: Current.
Scare Factor: Same as the last logo.
Latest page update: made by curiousgeorge60
, Aug 14 2008, 7:21 PM EDT
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Edited by curiousgeorge60
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- complete history)
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